Protests Against Far Right Pick Up Steam in Germany

Tens of thousands of people protested the far right in cities across Germany on Saturday, attending events with slogans such as "Never Again is Now," "Against Hate" and "Defend Democracy." The series of demonstrations has been gaining momentum in recent days, the AP reports. They began in the wake of a report that right-wing extremists recently met to discuss the deportation of millions of immigrants, including some with German citizenship. Some members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party were present at the meeting. Police said a Saturday afternoon protest in Frankfurt drew 35,000 people. Demonstrations in Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Hannover, among other cities, also drew large crowds.

A similar demonstration Friday in Hamburg, drew what police said was a crowd of 50,000 and had to be ended early because the mass of people led to safety concerns. Protests planned for Sunday in other major cities, including Berlin, Munich, and Cologne, are also expected to draw tens of thousands of people. Although Germany has seen other protests against the far right in past years, the size and scope of protests being held this weekend—not just in major cities but in dozens of smaller cities—make these notable. Saturday's crowds were a sign that the protests seem to be galvanizing popular opposition to the AfD in a new way. What started out as relatively small gatherings have grown into protests that, in many cases, are drawing far more participants than organizers expected.

The AfD, which has sought to distance itself from the meeting, was founded as a euroskeptic party in 2013 and first entered the German Bundestag in 2017. Polling now puts it in second place nationally with around 23%, far above the 10.3% it won during the last federal election in 2021, per the AP. The widespread anger over the Correctiv report has prompted renewed calls for Germany to consider seeking a ban on the AfD. On Saturday, the Brandenburg chapter of Germany's Greens voted at a party convention in favor of pursuing a ban to help prevent the rise of "a new fascist government in Germany."

(More Germany stories.)